The five-star performance by Victor Osimhen in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against the Benin Republic has sent fears down the spines of Cameroonians ahead of next month’s 2026 World Cup African play-off in Morocco.
Osimhen’s hat-trick kept Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup alive, but the Super Eagles must now navigate a four-match route through both the African and Inter-continental play-offs. The process will last five months.
Nigeria and three other countries, including Cameroon, Gabon, and DR Congo, will compete in a straight knockout format. Based on the current FIFA rankings, the Super Eagles will be designated Team A and will face Gabon in the semifinals, while Cameroon will meet DR Congo in the other fixture.
Winners of both matches will advance to the final to determine Africa’s representative for the Intercontinental Play-off.
Speaking with The Guardian from her base in Douala, Cameroon, yesterday, Oni Ladonette Ondesa, a television sports journalist who works with STV, said that Osimhen’s superlative performance against the Benin Republic in Uyo on Tuesday has given supporters of the Indomitable Lions something to worry about.
“I know that somewhere along the line, Cameroon and Nigeria will meet in the playoff, if they beat their opponents in the semifinal. But looking at what Victor Osimhen played against the Benin Republic, I am afraid our country might find it difficult to secure the playoff ticket.
“I am saying this because our players have not really shown us that determination the Cameroonian national team is known for. Some matches we were supposed to win, we either lost or drew. Against all expectations, we lost to Cape Verde and also drew against Angola at home. I pray the players bring out the true ‘Lions’ in them during the playoffs. I want to see Cameroon at the 2026 World Cup,” Ondesa stated.
After missing out on direct qualification, Nigeria, Cameroon, and the two other countries will now feature in the CAF Play-off scheduled for November 10 to 18, 2025, in Morocco.
The CAF Play-off champion will have to play two matches (semifinal and final) to book the continental ticket. The winner will then join five other teams, one each from Asia (AFC), South America (CONMEBOL), Oceania (OFC), and two from North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), in the Intercontinental Play-off scheduled for March 23 to 31, 2026.
Among the teams already confirmed are Bolivia (CONMEBOL’s seventh-placed side) and New Caledonia, runners-up in Oceania. The Asian, CONCACAF, and African representatives will be decided in November. The six teams will be seeded according to the FIFA World Ranking, with the two highest-ranked earning byes to the final round. The remaining four will contest two semifinals, and the winners will then face the seeded teams. The two victorious nations from those matches will claim the final World Cup slots.
By the current FIFA ranking, Nigeria (45), if qualified for the intercontinental play-off, stands a higher position than Bolivia (77) and New Caledonia (150) and could be one of the two to be seeded.
The two matches at the CAF play-off and good running at the December-January Africa Cup of Nations, also held in Morocco, could substantially improve the Super Eagles’ ranking ahead of the intercontinental play-off in March next year.
